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First Unitarian Universalist
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First Unitarian Universalist
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Drew's News
Congregational Meeting
Building and Grounds
Membership
Religious Education
Women's Alliance
Juneteenth Celebration
June Birthdays
Eiko Takemoto Honored
Andrew Malone at the DIA
A Love Story
Women in Black
Toronto Beaches Jazz
Items from the Internet
As May comes to an end I realize just how quickly time can pass. Perhaps this happens to you, too. As the days lengthen and the light is brighter there is a type of busy energy that spreads through our days and makes them seem shorter and faster. Or maybe my focus is just drifting as I consider the future.
Here’s what I know at this moment about the near future. General Assembly is about to occur in Portland, Oregon. Every year I attend this gathering of Unitarian Universalists from across the country as a part of my professional activity. The days immediately preceding the large gathering are spent in continuing education with ministerial colleagues, and then thousands of lay people arrive to participate in workshops, presentations, policy-making, and worship services. Several members of our congregation will be in attendance. Following General Assembly I will take some time off, as is customary. But this summer will include some work as well!
The Board of Trustees and I will have a retreat together to clarify plans and roles for the next year and to enhance our working styles and relationships. And I will spend a lot of time throughout the summer considering the flow of our next year together. I expect we will have a newly minted Mission Statement to guide us in our planning and prioritizing. You have been following the creation of this Mission Statement for many weeks now, and we should be voting to approve the final proposed statement at the Annual Meeting of the Congregation on June 10.
Many thanks to those who have participated in the long process of compiling, considering and crafting the thoughts you shared during the Appreciative Inquiry interviews! It is a large job, and a distinct honor to be charged with the task of articulating the mission of a congregation. As a reminder, the Mission Statement is the answer to the question, “What do you do?” Other statements answer other questions. A vision statement answers, “How do you see yourselves?” and a behavioral covenant answers, “How do you treat each other?” Various policies and bylaws explain how we get things done. Each of these is important in it’s own way, and I hope you will continue to pay attention to the Mission Statement process as a key piece of our congregational work together. After we agree on what we do together, we will explore the best way to answer the other questions that help us be clear about our way of being in community.
The next year promises to be full of good work and hard work and I am glad to be among you to do my part! As for the wild and busy energy of spring? I have a couple of suggestions – first, give yourself and others a little slack. If we each took a few minutes out of every day to focus on the beauty around us we would remain more centered and grounded. Second, come to church to experience the community you wish to build. It doesn’t happen without your presence and an hour on Sunday can also contribute to a grounded and centered week!
See you in church. –Reverend Drew
The Annual Congregational Meeting of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit will be on June 10, 2007 at 12:30 P.M. The purpose of the meeting is to approve the 2007-2008 budget, approve the Mission Statement and to vote for officers. The slate is:
Kudos to Lencha and Al Acker, Alicia Biggers, Maysel Brooks, Jim Brown, Lee Gaddis, Faye Colling, Alma King, Earl and Ann Harvey, Mary Lou Malone, Mark Schwing, Dan Wiest and our hands on minister, Drew Johnston, for their combined efforts in making our May fix-up/clean-up such a great success. The windows are shining, as is Memorial Hall. The flowerbeds and bushes are rejuvenated; McCollester Hall is no longer missing floor tiles; the refrigerator is now back in the kitchen beautifully cleaned and leveled; the linen closet is organized; and extensive work was done in the minister's office. A lot was accomplished but more needs to be done. See you all on June 9th.
~ Earl Harvey
Tickets are still available for LAPSES, a play at the Detroit Repertory Theater, June 2nd at 3:00 P.M. Ticket price is $15.00 with $5.00 going to our church budget. We will be going to the Traffic Jam afterwards. I will have the tickets during coffee hour on the 27th of May. I hope you can come and help me celebrate a milestone birthday. Also I will be having garage sales this summer. It is fun and you get first pick of some of the lovely items for sale. For more information and to offer assistance call Margaret Beck at 313-882-7775.
Wanted- Your Refundable Bottles
and Cans!
The Religious Education students of First UU are holding a Bottle-Can Drive
to raise money for the “Pilgrimage to Boston”. If you have any
refundable bottles or cans laying about taking up space in your house, garage
or storage shed, please consider donating them to the RE youths. RE students
will be happy to return them to the store for the deposit money and will use
the proceeds to help fund their trip to Boston in June. RE will be collecting
refundable bottles and cans every Sunday through June 17th.
The Women’s Alliance will be meeting June 13 – the second Wednesday of the month. The featured speaker will be Michael Hauser, Marketing Manager of the Detroit Opera House. The cost for the luncheon is $6.00 and reservations must be made by Monday, June 11th before noon by calling the church office at 313-833-9107 or Eiko Takemoto at 313-869-6389.
Sunday, June 17th - 11:00
A.M.
The special guest speaker will be Dr. James Robinson who will be speaking
about Ella Baker, Civil Rights Warrior. Our annual Juneteenth Emancipation
Celebration picnic will be held after the service in the churchyard at 1:00
P.M. Sport your ethnic dress and bring a picnic lunch and a dish to share.
Watermelon and lemonade will be provided.
| Date | Celebrant | Date | Celebrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Margaret Beck, John Angry | 20 | David Robinson |
| 7 | Matthew Malone | 23 | Ardith Dickason, James Robinson |
| 10 | Jim Milford | 25 | Virginia Thornthwaite |
| 12 | Sandra Thottakath | 26 | Ruth Crawford, Carolyn Ludwing |
| 16 | Ann Harvey | 29 | Dan Secrest |
Ed. Note…If you haven't seen your birthday listed it's because I don't have it. If you would like to be included in our birthday list please leave your name along with the month and date - year not necessary - of your birthday and leave it in the Newsletter box located outside the church office.
Eiko Takemoto was honored as a Golden Oldie at the Detroit Rotary Club and the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit at their 19th Annual Golden Oldies Award Luncheon on May 9, 2007. The criteria for determining eligibility for the award requires that one be over the age of 82, a volunteer for community organizations, and has had a significant impact on the lives of others. Eiko was nominated by Gwendolyn Dommond at Detroit Receiving Hospital where Eiko has devoted time, energy, love and attention as an active member of the hospital auxiliary. She has held the offices of treasurer, secretary, and fundraising chair. Also, for the past 30 years, Eiko has coordinated the Patient Clothing Closet, sorting clothes, shoes and coats each Friday for later distribution to less fortunate patients and their families. In addition, she coordinates the hospital’s decorations, acts as a patient concierge, and in years gone by provided patients warmth, caring and candy with her late husband Ken who was selected in 1998 as a Golden Oldie honoree. Further, the Award Committee identified Eiko’s volunteer efforts on behalf of First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit. Specifically, her efforts to coordinate church flower arrangements each week was noted as well as holding the position of treasurer to the Women’s Alliance.
Celebrating the honor bestowed upon Eiko were a number of First UU members and friends who attended the luncheon and presentation. Eiko’s son Robert, Ivan Cotman, Ann and Earl Harvey, Jim and Ruth Harvey, Mary Lou Malone, Mary Neale, Gene Perrin, Donna Walker and Trey and Colleen Greene. And of further interest, our past Moderator Colleen Dolan-Greene served on the Golden Oldies Committee, which selected the candidates for awards.
Congratulations Eiko! We are pleased that you received this recognition. And
thank you for your continued volunteer efforts for First UU.
Contributed by Jim Harvey
I am so proud to let you know that Andy Malone will have two miniature golf holes on display and ready to play on the lawn of the Detroit Institute of Arts beginning May 27th. Andy and many of our friends and family have been working hard to make these golf holes. The show opens this Sunday and there is a fee to play. The DIA is closing for the summer for renovations but the exhibit will be open. For more details, see Mary Lou Malone or this DIA press release.
My husband, Jim, was a graduate of Wayne State University and when he died he willed his body to the WSU Medical School. Recently I received an engraved invitation to a Memorial Service for those who had donated their bodies to the school. Seven of the Berrys attended, as did some 300 other people. We were honoring 163 donations to the school; 105 were babies or children, I think.
Our hosts were the Dean and all the first-year medical students at WSU - some 30 or 40 of them. They had taken, as they all must, an anatomy class, personally met our loved ones and learned from the body's lessons basic to every med student. They wanted us to know how much they appreciated the choice that gave them this essential learning opportunity.
They read Bible passages, sang for us (the Ultrasounds), described how interested they became in their patients, and then read all 163 names. Many, many were so young they were only designated as 'Baby Boy___", Baby Girl___". Oh, so many of them! We each left with a deep red rose in hand.
I've attended many memorial services; this was unique and I wanted to share it with you.
It was beautiful; Jim made the right choice. I recommend it to others.
~ Janice Berry
Join others for a silent protest vigil on Saturday, June 9th promptly at noon. We will meet at the Detroit Cultural Center at Cass and Forest in front of WSU Old Main Building.
“We are women of varied ethnic and racial heritage who gather to oppose the use of violence and terror as a means to political ends. Please wear black and be silent.”
Bed and Breakfast in Toronto with Unitarians for the 19th Annual Toronto Beaches International Jazz Festival July 26 - 29, 2007. FREE street festival of jazz, rhythm and blues, samba, Latin -50 live bands. Outdoor music, entertainment, fun for the whole family. The members of neighborhood UU congregations that live close to, or in, the Beaches are opening their doors as a fundraiser for the congregation. For more information contact Jon Whitehead at 416-691-1397 or joncwhitehead@hotmail.com
Strange Definitions
